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Travel Memory: Volunteering in Tanzania

Today I realized that five years ago I woke up in the airplane flying over Mount Kilimanjaro. My volunteer school project in Tanzania was a life changing trip but back then I yet had no idea how much the journey would influence me.

Our high school project (that is still ongoing with current students) was to support a local primary school and village community in northern Tanzania. We helped provide the school books and stationary, supported the locals with renovating the school buildings, brought mosquito nets and important supplies to families of the area and of course continued building an international and cultural relationship between our schools.

During our time in Tanzania I got to teach some English, help bring supplies to hospitals and orphanages and help the locals renovate the school buildings. Of course we had free time too (climbing to Kilimanjaro base camp, safaris and swimming in the Indian Ocean), but for me the most important experience was bonding with the locals. Being able to share thoughts together and learn about different cultures was the best.

We were very lucky to spend so much time with the people from the village. Visiting local families felt so special! A Maasai tribe also invited us to their Sunday service at church. It was nothing like I’d imagined. We sang, we danced and there was even a little goat being auctioned! Another tribe we visited was the Hadzabe bush tribe. They don’t use/need money, they live from nature. I was taught how to shoot with a bow and poison arrow, which was an amazing experience.

Even though we had such a lovely time with all the people, there were some things that really managed to make me sad. I saw things I had never really paid attention to; Homes built of nothing but sticks, starving children, young girls who were already married and carried babies, hospitals where three patients shared the same bed… I was only 18 years old so it was all very shocking for me. My classmates in the project group and I used to cry in the evenings because everything was so overwhelming and frightening to us.

At the same time I really learned a lot about myself and my own culture. During the journey we very quickly stopped complaining about huge hairy spiders in our rooms and I ate everything that was offered to me. I really learned to appreciate the small things in life, such as clean water and a roof above my head. It was an important experience for all of us.

During our last evening in Tanzania there was a huge farewell ceremony. A killed goat was brought in front of us for dinner and we shared it with everyone. Also a Maasai choir sang for us. The locals danced and we danced back. Then we exchanged addresses with the children, I would miss them so much.

I am still receiving letters from some of my friends in Tanzania; however some of the letters are extremely sad to read as many girls in Tanzania struggle to even get proper education. Still, it is wonderful to know I have lifelong friendships with the people from the village we lived in.

I miss Tanzania almost every day, yet feel like I can never go back to Tanzania as a tourist. I know I will return eventually to the country where I left my heart, but that will happen in the form of volunteer work. And trust me, that’s one of the best ways to experience a new culture!

(I don’t have many pictures from Tanzania with me in the Netherlands, but below you can find some pictures and a video of the children in Kilingi welcoming the volunteer workers.)

Anna

A 24-year-old Finnish-English traveler, sharing stories from the rainforests of Borneo to the beaches of Sri Lanka, and from the Sahara desert all the way to the Arctic circle.Current location: The Netherlands